Clock ticking on county daycare decision

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If the county sells its stake in the Jean Hamlyn Day Care Centre, it will cost Dufferin taxpayers about $325,000 in severance pay.
That would be a one-time hit, however, opposed to the accumulating losses the county operated childcare centre in Orangeville could place on Dufferin’s financial books year after year.
It’ll cost taxpayers about $275,000 to run Jean Hamlyn in 2013, or about one per cent of the county’s tax levy. But a group of parents with children attending Jean Hamlyn just don’t understand why that even matters.
“They seem to be taking on a little daycare centre that has a deficit of $280,000,” said Andrea Papavasiliou, speaking on behalf of parents. “There are other services in the county that seem to have more.”
As the implementation of full-day Kindergarten (FDK) comes into the fold across Dufferin, the county is faced with three options — close Jean Hamlyn, continue managing the facility, or as is currently being investigated, find a private childcare provider to take over operations.
Whatever county council decides will likely have to come sooner rather than later.
“Decisions will have to be made in a timely fashion, so families are made aware,” said Keith Palmer, Dufferin’s director of community services. “So, they have time to make any changes they need to do.”
There are at least four private operators interested in taking over operations at Jean Hamlyn — the county sent out a request for proposals (RFP) earlier this month. The deadline for interested parties to make their pitch is Nov. 1.
Meanwhile, the group of parents is urging the county to hold off. From their perspective, turning Jean Hamlyn over to a third party provider — with an eye on profit margins — would diminish the excellence of care.
“By changing the care the centre gives, or by closing it, they’re wrecking bonds,” Papavasiliou said. “They’re really messing with a child’s routine and wellbeing. I don’t think they get that picture yet.”
If the full implementation of FDK and extended day care at elementary schools was offered today, Jean Hamlyn could lose 73 per cent of its enrolment. The county could shift its model to infants and toddlers — ¬more expensive options due to provincially mandated caregiver-to-child ratios — but the cost to taxpayers could increase.
Given current staff wages and child fee revenues, caring for just three infants at Jean Hamlyn would result in a loss of more than $31,000 per year. That must be taken into consideration, according to Shelburne Mayor Ed Crewson, chair of the county’s community services committee.
“We look at all delivery systems that the county employs to see if there is any way we can improve quality and reduce the cost,” he said. “That is our responsibility.”
Hypothetically, should Jean Hamlyn be closed, Palmer previously reported Orangeville’s remaining daycare facilities possess enough open spaces to fill the void. If a third party provider comes in, “we’re not going to have issues around space,” he added.
Citing discrepancies between the county’s numbers and their own in late September, parents fighting to see Dufferin continue running Jean Hamlyn urged county officials to double check those vacancy stats.
Palmer has done that, and on Wednesday (Oct. 24), the community services committee was told the county’s numbers are correct.
If Jean Hamlyn’s operations are sold to a third party, the county doesn’t plan to take the estimated $650,000 in annual budget savings and run. It could re-invest that money by offering more daycare fee subsidies to families in Dufferin, or help other childcare centres either stay afloat or expand.
“You have to think about how you’re going to adjust the delivery of your service,” Palmer said. “We have to prepare for those possible changes we might have to undergo.”